


A Voice as a Lifeline

by Annide



Series: Febuwhump [6]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29188707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide
Summary: During a traffic stop, Carlos gets attacked and needs to flee and hide.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Febuwhump [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116785
Comments: 13
Kudos: 64





	A Voice as a Lifeline

**Author's Note:**

> Written for febuwhump day 18: "i can't see". Requested by an anon who wanted Carlos to be the one who can't see.

It was a routine traffic stop. Carlos intercepted a vehicle, walked to them, explained why he’d made them stop, grabbed their ID and car papers and went back to his patrol car to enter the information into the computer and issue the ticket. Something he’d done thousands of times before, not a big deal. Then, things took a turn for the worse as he headed back. The driver had come out of the car and he attacked him with a baseball bat.

Carlos fell from the blow to the head. He reached for his gun, but he was hit another time, harder. He heard a crack, the bone around his eye seemed to have been broken. He tried to get his gun again, but his attacker was faster and took his belt from him. The gun was well secured and hard to steal, but the belt was another story. In the struggle, Carlos managed to at least grab his radio, which he crucially needed to call for help.

Knowing he was now in a bad and overpowered position, Carlos scrambled to get away. His head ringing and his vision blurred, he stumbled and ran towards a side street he knew was nearby. He heard steps behind him and he knew he was being followed. Without stopping, he lifted the transmitter of the radio to his mouth.

“Dispatch, this is 363-H-20 requesting back up at last known location. Need police and medical assistance against suspect who stole my service weapon.”

“10-4, 363-H-20, sending nearest available units.”

He found himself feeling grateful that whoever this man was, he didn’t have very good aim. Gunshots flew in his direction and one of them grazed his thigh, but he didn’t think it was too bad. Carlos tripped, but he managed to crawl to the side and get inside an abandoned building. He sat down against the wall, panic rising inside him as he realised how little aware of his surroundings he was. Clearly, those blows to the head from the baseball bat had been worse than he’d thought, because his vision was seriously impaired.

“363-H-20, what’s your 20?”

“I’m not sure. I hid in the first building I could get into.”

“Officer Reyes, this is Captain Vega, from the 126 station. We are on scene trying to locate you. Police have the suspect in custody. I need you to look around and tell me everything you can see. Or come out if you can.”

“I can’t... I... I can’t see.”

As he said it, the dam broke. Admitting it out loud made it real and he couldn’t hold in the tears from escaping him anymore. He was terrified. Being attacked and shot at was one thing, but losing his eyesight was worse than anything he’d ever imagined. What if he never got it back?

“You can’t see? Is it because it’s too dark or..? How badly hurt are you?”

TK. Of course he was here as well. He sounded like he was trying his hardest to stay calm, but Carlos could still hear the shake in his voice.

“I got hit, I can feel one side of my face too swollen for my eye to open. But...” Carlos tried for a deep breath after his voice broke, but it didn’t help. “I don’t know what’s wrong with the other, it’s open, but it’s all dark, I can’t see more than a hint of light. TK, what if I go blind?”

He was scared and alone. He wished TK were here, right next to him, holding him and shushing him. But Carlos didn’t know where he was himself, let alone how far his boyfriend could possibly be.

“Don’t say that, babe. It’ll be alright, we have to believe that. _You_ have to believe that. Now take a deep breath. You need to stay calm, because panicking can only make things worse, alright?”

“Okay...”

“I’m here, right at the other end of the radio and I’m not going to stop talking to you until you’re back in my arms.”

“I need you, TK. I’m scared.”

“I know, we’re coming. You know Tommy’s a real badass, she’s gonna take such good care of you and then you’ll be good as new. Just hold on, and breathe.”

Carlos let his head fall back against the wall. He concentrated on his breathing for a while, as TK kept doing his best to reassure him. Eventually, he heard them walking nearby and calling for him. He tried yelling back for them, but they didn’t hear, so he used the radio to tell them to shut up and listen for him.

“Over here!”

He heard running in his direction, then the door creaking open. He jumped when he first felt hands on him. He could imagine the worried look on all of their faces even though he couldn’t see them.

“It’s me, Carlos, you’re safe. Tommy’s gonna examine your eyes while I look for the source of that blood I see on the floor.”

“A bullet grazed my thigh, right here.”

Carlos put his hand on it to help TK find it. He’d located it earlier just to make sure he wasn’t in any danger of bleeding out, but it had felt like a superficial wound. His fingers didn’t seem too wet which meant there must not have been that much blood coming out.

“Right, I can see it. It’s minor, I’ll take care of it.”

“Your head, however, is another story.” Tommy said. “But you knew that. You have an orbital bone fracture and the entire area is very swollen. I believe the force of the impact may have blown a vessel in your other eye. We’ll get you to the hospital as soon as possible and I am confident that they’ll be able to fix it. In the meantime, I’m giving you medication that should help with the swelling and hopefully allow you to open your other eye and see what’s going on around you.”

Carlos spent the entire ambulance ride holding TK’s hand. By the time they made it there, he was able to open his good eye and his boyfriend’s face was the first and last thing he saw before he was wheeled off to the emergency room.

He was discharged the next day with a prescription for pain medication and advice to sleep with his head elevated for a while. The doctors had fixed the source of the bleeding in his eye, but it would take a few days for the blood to clear completely. Carlos could see now, though with several dark spots. He’d be off work for a few weeks while the break to his skull healed.

Overall, this entire thing had caused a lot more fear than it did harm, and Carlos couldn’t be more relieved. As much as he might complain to TK that he was smothering him and that he didn’t need to stay with him, nothing made him happier than all the love and care he received from his boyfriend.

“Thank you.” Carlos said as he buried himself deeper into TK’s embrace.

“Anything for you, babe.”


End file.
